Atelier

The SGVA sponsors an atelier (pronounced AH-te-Li-ay). "Atelier" is French for artist's studio or workroom. It is used to describe a method of study that is designed to develop fundamental art skills. The atelier method has been used for many years and has produced most of the world's great artists. The SGVA Atelier provides an environment where members can practice fundamental skills while being guided and encouraged by other artists.

The atelier method was developed in the 15th century. An atelier consisted of a master artist working with a small number of students. It focused on developing basic art skills before exploring personal expression. Private and public ateliers can still be found today in many parts of North America and Western Europe. Unfortunately, most of them are expensive and require that students dedicate a tremendous amount of time to their work. In contrast, the SGVA Atelier is typically held only once a month.

Members may use the atelier to complete the projects they start in class. Individual members may also bring their own projects from home to work on. Members who bring their own work may ask other members to offer suggestions and to make observations. For those that do not bring a project of their own, each session is assigned a subject or focus. The assigned subject often determines where the session is held or what materials are made available to the artists.

The following lists the techniques and topics that might be practiced throughout the year:

• Sight Size (January) - Drawing or painting an object exactly as it appears to the artist on a one-to-one scale. This is often done by copying a cast model.

• Comparative Measurement (February) - Drawing or painting a subject with proportional accuracy but allowing the artist to vary the size of the image created.

• Copying Master Works (March) - Copying old master's drawings and paintings is a time-tested atelier discipline often call "drawing from the flat".

• Casts (April) - To draw or paint all or part of a sculpture that has a uniform hue (typically white or off-white). This subject allows the artist to depict reality without having to deal with the complexities of color.

• Still Life (May) - Drawing or painting directly from still life displays set-up in the classroom.

• Landscapes (June) - Landscapes consist of an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view. Landscapes include physical elements such as landforms and buildings, living elements of flora and fauna, as well as abstract elements like lighting and weather conditions.

• En Plein Air (July) - A French expression which means "in the open air" which is used to describe painting outdoors.

• Painting from Life (August) - Painting while observing the actual scene being depicted (rather than painting from a photograph or memory).

• Portraits (September) - To depict the visual appearance of a subject's head and shoulders.

• Figures (October) - An exercise in drawing or painting the human body in various shapes and positions. Figures are arguably the most difficult subject an artist commonly encounters.

• Color Studies (November) - Practical applications of color theory and application.

Here are a few suggestions on how to make your atelier experience a positive one.

• The atelier learning is meant to be self-directed. There is little or no instruction. The hope is that students will learn from doing. For this reason, each artist must decide what he or she is going to work on prior to a session. For example, if you want to work on sight size drawing then you should do a little homework to make sure you understand the concept and bring the materials that are needed. On the other hand, if you wanted to do a monochrome painting you would need to bring a small canvas, easel, brushes, mediums, rags, and a few basic colors (like burnt umber and white).

• During a session please feel free to ask questions of other artists. That is one reason we get together. In essence, our fellow artists become the mentors and coaches in our self-directed learning. Still, most artists will not be comfortable offering suggestions about your work unless you ask for help.

• Don't forget to bring a camera to record the subjects just in case you are not able to complete your work during the session. Each atelier session will have a different focus so it may be difficult to complete the work from prior sessions without your own photographic reference.